With Mata Hari #1 Emma Beeby gives us an intriguing look into the moments leading up to Mata Hari’s infamous trial and conviction. We’re shown her past, through beautifully interspersed flashbacks that are grounded in the actual historical facts about her life, combined with the trial itself. What makes this story work is how real it feels: you can tell that Beeby did her research into everything she could find out about Margaretha Zelle-MacLeod. The other reason the book is fascinating is the lack of judgment about the woman herself. Beeby aims to present Mata Hari as she is, the good, the bad and the brutally ugly, without enforcing her own (or anyone else’s) morality on her. Instead she presents the story from several angles, showing how utterly charming and sympathetic Mata Hari is, yet how devastating her actions were, not just for her, but those around her, on a worldwide scale. This is amply supported by Ariela Kristantina’s artwork and Pat Masiona’s lush colors. Whether it’s the sepia tinged flashbacks to Mata Hari’s childhood before things went so very wrong, or the dark and dank prison in which she finds herself before her trial, every panel is filled with detail and so much life it practically leaps off the page. Part one of five, this first chapter in the saga of Mata Hari’s life has me not only eager to read the next part of the tale but also wanting to dive into her colorful history myself. Five boudoirs out of five.